6 Great Tips for Trail Mix on a Hike

• Food and water basics for day hiking with children
• Hiking: A great time to snack between meals
• Great snack ideas for your hike with kids
• Gorp recipe
• Kiddie Mix Gorp recipe
• Know your berry before eating it when day hiking with kids

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

How to avoid eating poisonous plants during hiking emergency

While a dandelion is edible, avoid eating its stem, which contains a milky sap.
Photo courtesy of Photoree.

During a hiking emergency, the time may came when you need to forage to get you by for a few hours until you reach safety. To forage, though, you’ll need to know which plants to avoid – that is, which plants are poisonous.

Generally, any wild plants with the following characteristics are poisonous (or they at least will make you very sick and hence dehydrate you):
g Almond-like scent
g Beans, bulbs or seeds inside a pod
g Black or pink spurs on grain heads
g Group of three leaves
g Milky sap
g Shiny leaves
g Spines, thorns or hairs on stem (exceptions are plants with aggregate berries, such as blackberries and raspberries)
g Umbrella-shaped flowers
g White berries

In addition, just because you've seen an animal eat a plant, don’t presume it’s safe for you. Those animals have evolved to eat that type of plant. For example. birds often enjoy holly berries, but they are toxic to virtually all other animals.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Consider bringing small bottle of hand sanitizer on day hike with kids

Photo courtesy of Photoree

A small bottle of hand sanitizer often is a good supply to bring on a day hike, especially if you have children who will snack along the way. Kids are apt to run their hands through dirt, rub their fingers along leaves and rocks, and cup in their palms water from streams you stop beside.

While not a perfect solution to keeping their hands clean – biodegradable soap will more effectively get rid of any germs – sanitizer in a bottle is more convenient to use and less messy to store. If taking hand sanitizer with you, opt for an unscented kind.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Try this easy trail snack recipe: Hiker’s Top

Marshmallows are a key ingredient in the trail snack Hiker's Top.
Photo courtesy of  flatop341 / Photoree.

If your kids’ hands tend to get dirty when day hiking or if you’re tired of the same old ho hum trail mix, you might want to try this receipt for a snack I’ve nicknamed Hiker’s Top.

To make it, you’ll need pretzel sticks (the thin kind), marshmallows, white frosting and chocolate chips.

Hold a couple of pretzel sticks together and gently insert them into one of the marshmallow’s flat ends. Next, place a dollop of frosting on the marshmallow’s other flat end. Press the chocolate chip into the frosting.

The snack now looks like a top with the chocolate chip the point that it would spin on. The pretzel sticks are the handle.

Place the tops in a sealable plastic bag for the hike. They’re best when temperatures are moderate; you risk the marshmallow, frosting and chocolate chip melting in the heat.

If kids have dirty hands, they can dispose of the pretzel stick handle and just eat the marshmallow/frosting/chip combo.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Enjoy edible berries found trailside on a day hike

Wild strawberries are edible. Photo courtesy of photobear / Photoree.

Among the pleasures of hiking is enjoying edible berries found along the trail. If with children, this is a great way to help them connect with nature. If lost, it may give you enough energy to keep going until rescuers can find out.

In general, aggregate berries – that is, a fruit formed from several fruitlets, such as a raspberries and blackberries – are edible. Other edible wild berries include blueberries, elderberries, cranberries, and serviceberries. Never eat a berry, however, if you cannot positively determine what kind it is.

Most of these berries can be found on shrubs growing at the edge of meadows or clearings. Usually such shrubs cannot grow in shaded areas such as beneath a forest canopy.

The majority of such berries ripen in late summer or early fall. Depending on your latitude, when berries ripen can shift due to the length and number of growing seasons.

Upon picking a berry, you may want to quickly rinse it with a little canteen water. This will remove any dust that has fallen upon it during dry, windy days.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Pack fresh veggies as alternative to trail mix for hiking snack

Fresh vegetables make a great alternative to trail mix on a day hike.
Photo courtesy of Photoree.

Sometimes you just get tired of eating trail mix on a hike. Or maybe the kids are allergic to peanuts. Or quite likely they pick through it and eat only the chocolate bits.

A good alternative to trail mix, on cooler days at least, are fresh veggies. Besides filling you up, they’re packed with nutrition, often more so than the gorp that we fill with M&Ms and marshmallows.

When selecting vegetables for the trail, opt for those that will remain the freshest the longest. Generally, that will be carrots, celery and radishes. Bell peppers – whether the red, orange, yellow or green kind – come in a close second.

To improve the odds of them remaining fresh, always select the freshest ones when purchasing them at the supermarket or farmer’s market. No blemishes should appear on them either.

How you cut and pack the vegetables before the hike also can go a long way to helping them to retain their freshness. For example, carrots and celery will better retain their moisture and crispness if they aren’t peeled and if the cuts are large. For radishes and bell peppers, take the larger over the smaller ones. In the case of radishes, remove only the stems (tops) and tails (bottoms).

Resist the temptation to rinse radishes and peppers. Doing so removes a protective layer that otherwise would keep them fresh.

Placing the vegetables in a folded but unsealed plastic bag with a moist paper towel also helps them remain crisp.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Make your own trail mix bars for next day hike

You can make your own trail mix bars to match your tastes.

You don’t have to spend money on expensive trail mix bars for your day hike. You can make far more bars at a lower cost per ounce, all in the comfort of your own kitchen, than you can purchase ready-made. In addition, you can cut the bars to match the size you prefer. One more benefit: You can change the ingredients to match your tastes rather than be limited to what someone else has determined will be the widest selling flavor.

Consider having your children help you make the bars. Depending on their age, they can pour, stir and help select the ingredients. They’ll appreciate the bars more when on a hike if they make them by their own hand.

You’ll need the follow ingredients:
g Cooking spray
g Crispy rice cereal, like Rice Krispies (2-1/2 cups)
g Toasted oat cereal rings, like Cherrios (2-1/2 cups)
g Sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted (1-1/2 cups)
g Raisins (1 cup)
g Chocolate chips (3/4 cup)
g Honey (1 cup)
g Brown sugar (3/4 cup)
g Peanut butter (2 cups)
g Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)

Instructions
g Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
g Mix crispy rice cereal, oat cereal rings, sunflower seeds, raisins and chocolate chips in a large bowl; you can cut sunflower seeds, raisins and chocolate chips and replace each with other items (such as almonds, chopped peanuts, dried cranberries, M&Ms, etc.) as per your preference.
g Stir honey and brown sugar in saucepan, bring to boil over high heat. Stir and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth and blended.
g Pour mixture from saucepan over dry ingredients in large bowl then stir until all dry ingredients are moist.
g Spon and press mixture into baking dish, making layers even.
g Cool on counter for 45 minutes then cut into bars to match size you prefer.

When taking bars on the trail, place bar in plastic wrap or a plastic sandwich bag.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Prevent hungry bears from breaking into your vehicle while family is out on a hike

A bear breaks into a vehicle with improperly stored food at Sequoia National
Park. Photo courtesy of Sequoia NPS.

Leave food in your vehicle when day hiking, and upon returning you may find some windows smashed, doors dented, and seats ripped.

No, the culprit isn’t a hungry teenager looking for snacks. It’s a bear – a creature you don’t want to meet face to face or when it’s stuck in the back seat.

Common in the mountains and forests of the West, bears are growing in population and advancing south through the wooded areas of the Upper Midwest. Though you almost never have to worry about running into a bear on a hike, your vehicle may not be so lucky.

Bears have such a strong sense of smell – about a hundred times more powerful than a dog’s – that they can detect food in your parked vehicle, even if your trail mix and picnic lunch are in containers. With their strength and willpower, bears will have no trouble getting into your vehicle, though they’re a little messy in the way they go about it. In short, food in your vehicle screams “Lunch wagon!” to a bear.

To avoid a bear break-in, follow these basic guidelines:
g Leave the food at home – If you’re not going to carry it in your backpack, then don’t bring it all. Should you consume food along the way, make sure the trash disposed of before you reach the trailhead.
g Use the bear box – Should you still have food at the trailhead, use the bear-proof food locker if one is nearby (Usually they are in areas where bears are known to break into vehicles). Made of steel, bears can’t open these containers.
g Dispense with the coolers – Especially in national and state parks, some bears have learned that food coolers may contain goodies. They’ll then break into a vehicle just to see if their hunch is right (and they usually don’t leave any leftovers if they are).
g Don’t toss food scraps on the trail – Once bears come across human food, they’ll give it a try. They’ll probably like it. That means on future trips that you or other hikers take in the area, bears are more likely to break into vehicles if they smell those same delectables locked inside.

Should you come across a bear who’s taken your food, don’t try to get it back. The bear will fight to keep your loaf of bread and granola bars. And the bear will win.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Great kid’s recipe for day hike snack: Autumn Mix Gorp

This summer trail mix can be turned
into a hearty autumn mix by instead
using popcorn, pretzels and candy
corn. Photo courtesy of  Wikipedia.

Have kids help you make homemade trail mix, also known among backpackers as gorp. Here’s how to make an autumn mix variety of gorp. You’ll need 8 cups of popcorn, 4 cups of pretzels, and 2 cups of candy corn. Mix it in a large bowl or pour into a gallon-size re-sealable zipper bag and shake.

More great day hike food ideas for kids:
g Trail mix recipe for kids: Gorp balls
g What do with leftovers on a day hike with kids

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Reducing impact on a desert environment when hiking

Nightmare Gulch, Red Rock Canyon State Park, California.

With so little rainfall, deserts are a delicate, fragile environment. The limited number of plants and animals residing in them can be deeply affected by even minor changes. Even when day hiking, such small changes are easy to inadvertently make to a desert.

To limit the impact of your hike upon a desert environment, stick to these simple practices:
g Leave what’s natural in its place – Uprooting plants and moving rocks actually disturbs food and shelter sources for desert animals.
g Walk single file – Doing so restricts the impact of your footsteps to a single narrow path. Stepping off a path can dislodge plant roots, compress soil, or shift rocks about.
g Carry out your leftovers – Rather than decompose, food tossed to the ground often will mummify. Since human foods (such as oranges and bananas) usually aren’t native to deserts, seeing a mummified pealing looks out of place. All other garbage, such as wrappers, should be carried out as well.
g Keep noise down – Our shouts carry farther in the open desert and echoes off rock canyon walls, stressing animals and diminishing the experience for other hikers.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Best snacks for a winter day hike – and why you should pig out on them

Mixing carbs and fats in snacks is a good idea for winter
hiking with kids.

Arguably one of the many fun aspects of a day hike in winter is that you can snack – and not just a little snack, like you might enjoy on a summer walk.

Your body uses more energy on a winter day hike than in summer. First, more exertion is required to move over snow, and secondly your body must generate heat to keep itself warm. Because of this, you can burn around 100 more calories an hour than you would during a summer hike on the same trail.

To keep up your energy, during winter you’ll want to mix carbs and fats in your snacks. If you stick only to carbs, you risk a sugar crash in which you’ll become sluggish and cold. Being tired on a trail is never any fun, but when your body struggles to stay warm during a winter hike, that’s problematic.

Some great snack carb/fat combos for a winter day hike include:
g Nuts and dried fruit – Almonds, walnuts, and pistachios provide the fats while dried fruit work as carbs.
g Nuts and chocolate pieces – The sweets give you carbs while the nuts again offer up the fats.
g Candy with cookie wafers – The frosted or chocolate portions provide the fats while the cookie wafer is the carb.

And don’t worry about eating larger portions of these snacks than you would during summer. You almost certainly won’t gain weight because the body actually needs the extra intake of food.

Finally, don’t forget water with those snacks. You’ll need extra water on a winter day hike not just to help to metabolize the nuts, fruits and candy but also to ward off dehydration. Hikers often don’t realize that dehydrating oneself in cold weather is just as easy to do as it is on an extremely hot day. Due to the freezing temperatures, moisture is locked up in the snow, and so the air is desert dry.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

How to avoid mosquitoes when day hiking with children

Just because mosquitoes are out doesn’t mean you have to spray your body with all kinds of nasty chemicals. There are ways to avoid being mosquitoes - and kids are certain to find a hike unpleasant if bitten repeatedly – without using DEET or bug repellent. Start by not attracting the pests to you in the first place:
g Hike when the sun is high – Mosquitoes tend to come out at dawn and dusk.
g Dump the fragrances - Perfumes, shampoos and sunscreens that carry flowery or fruity scents are a natural draw for the critters.
g Wear light clothing – Mosquitoes can better spot dark clothing, so they’re drawn to those wearing black and navy blue.
g Don’t eat salty foods – Mosquitoes are attracted to lactic acid, which you’ll have more of after eating foods like potato chips. Ditto with high-potassium foods like beans and potatoes.
g Stay out of wet areas – During spring and summer, don’t walk through wetlands or areas with bodies of standing water, where mosquitoes breed.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Food, water basics for day hikes with kids

Always carry food with you on a hike. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Water is a necessity of any hiking trip, and food is a must if you’re heading out with kids. To remain hydrated, adults and children alike need to drink regularly. To keep kids’ energy levels up, they’ll need to enjoy snacks.

Arranging hikes between meal times always is good planning. You don’t want children on the trail when their bodies tell them they should be at the dinner table. Leave for the trail after a meal so that food can settle during the drive, and always head for home to ensure they’ll eat their next meal on time. Maintaining the routines and schedules of home will help prevent a number of attitude problems on the trail.

Also, be sure to carry water and refrigerated food in insulated pouches or containers. This will keep them cool and from spoiling.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Bring healthy snacks when hiking with kids

Among the many wonderful things about hiking, at least for the kids, is that snacking between meals isn’t frowned upon. Unless going on an all-day hike in which you’ll picnic along the way, you want to keep them fed, as hungry children can lead to lethargy and whininess. It’ll also keep toddlers from snacking on the local flora or dirt.

Before hitting the trail, you’ll want to repackage as much of the food as possible as products sold at grocery stores tend to come in bulky packages that take up space and add a little weight to your backpack. Place the food in re-sealable plastic bags.

Bring a variety of small snacks for rest stops. You don’t want kids filling up on snacks, but you do need them to maintain their energy levels if they’re walking or to ensure they don’t turn fussy if riding in a child carrier. Go for complex carbohydrates and proteins for maintaining energy. Good options include dried fruits, jerky, nuts, peanut butter, prepared energy bars, candy bars with a high protein content (nuts, peanut butter), crackers, raisins and trail mix (called “gorp”). A number of trail mix recipes are available online; you and your children may want to try them out at home to see which ones you collectively like most.

Salty treats rehydrate better than sweet treats do. Chocolate and other sweets are fine if they’re not all that’s exclusively served, but remember they also tend to lead to thirst and to make sticky messes. Whichever snacks you choose, don’t experiment with food on the trail. Bring what you know kids will like.

Give the first snack within a half-hour of leaving the trailhead or you risk children becoming tired and whiny from low energy levels. If kids start asking for them every few steps even after having something to eat at the last rest stop, consider timing snacks to reaching a visible landmark, such as, “We’ll get out the trail mix when we reach that bend up ahead.”

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Pre-hike checklist to ensure successful walk with kids

You’ll get more out of the day hike with children if you plan ahead. It’s not enough to just pull over to the side of the road and hit a trail that you’ve never been on and have no idea where it goes. In fact, doing so invites disaster.

Before leaving on any hike, plan out your trip:
g Print a road map showing how to reach the parking lot near the trailhead. Outline the route with a transparent yellow highlighter and write out the directions.
g Print a satellite photo of the parking area and the trail-head. Mark the trailhead on the photo.
g Print a topo map of the trail. Outline the trail with the yellow highlighter. Note interesting features you want to see along the trail and the destination.
g If carrying GPS, program this information into your device.
g Make a timeline for your trip, listing: when you will leave home; when you will arrive at the trailhead; your turn-back time; when you will return for home in your vehicle; when you will arrive at home.
g Estimate how much water and food you will need to bring based on the amount of time you plan to spend on the trail and in your vehicle. You’ll need at least 2 pints of water per person for every hour on the trail.
g Fill out two copies of a hiker’s safety form. Leave one in your vehicle.
g Share all of this information with a responsible person remaining in civilization, leaving a hiker’s safety form with them. If they do not hear from you within an hour of when you plan to leave the trail in your vehicle, they should contact authorities to report you as possibly lost.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Useful kid food rules for day hikes

Whenever going on a day hike with children, be sure to bring along snacks. Kids who exert energy will get hungry, and they’ll probably need to take in some nourishment to keep going.

Great snacks to bring include trail mix, granola bars, dried or peeled fruit, beef jerky and crackers. A picnic lunch also can be fun, though it’ll require carrying more food in your backpack.

Some basic food guidelines to follow when day hiking with kids include:
g Bring lots of different kinds of food that your children like – You never know what your children might be in the mood to eat, and that they eat is better than not at all.
g Don’t try new foods – Kids can be finicky, so bring something you know they’ll eat. Try out new trail mix recipes before leaving for the trail.
g Keep eating times consistent with those at home – If you have a regular morning snack time or will be hiking during lunch, offer food during at about the same time when on the trial. Kids’ stomachs are accustomed to eating at those times. At the same time, however, when kids get hungry, feed them regardless of the time.
g Remember adult food – You don’t want to end up eating goldfish crackers and kid-sized nutrition bars because it won’t fill you. Consider bringing whole fruit and hardboiled eggs for yourself.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

What to bring on a day hike with kids

A successful hike ensures that you wear the right clothes and
bring the proper gear, navigational tools, first-aid kit and more. 

Knowing the answers to the questions that go into determining where you’ll hike – weather, trail conditions, features you’ll see there – will help you determine what kind of clothing and gear to bring. The age of your children also will play a significant role in making these decisions.

Generally, you want to go as light as possible. The more you carry, the heavier the load and so the greater the physical exertion. A lighter load also decreases the chance of injury and means you can go farther. In addition, the more you bring, the odds increase that you’ll lose or forget something.

Among the items you’ll want to consider bringing:
• Clothes – Unless a warm, sunny day, you’ll want to layer your clothing. Make sure you have hiking boots and wool socks. Headgear and sunglasses are a must on sunny days and during winter.
• Gear – If your child is an infant or toddler, you’ll want a baby carrier and a fanny pack. If you have older children, get yourself a backpack. A trekking pole also is vital.
• Navigational tools – Carry a topographical map of the area as well as a compass, even if you have GPS.
• Food and water – You’ll want to bring canteens that can hold 2 pints of water per person for every hour of hiking. Be sure to bring trail mix as well. If you have an infant, be sure to bring milk formula.
• First-aid kit – At a minimum, a first-aid kit should include adhesive bandages, antibacterial ointment, gauze bandages, medical tape, tweezers and possibly poison ivy cream.
• Sundries – Bring diapers, wet wipes, a pad, and re-sealable plastic bags for carrying the waste if your child isn’t yet potty trained. A camera also is a great idea. A safety whistle also is wise. If carrying an infant, don’t forget the pacifier.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Check, maintain gear following your hike

When returning from a day hike, you don’t want to leave your gear in the trunk or toss it in the garage. If you do, you’ll quickly find it deteriorating or even broken (and usually you won’t realize the latter until on the next trail). Instead, spend a few minutes looking over the gear and performing some basic maintenance if necessary.

Get your kids involved in maintaining the gear, too. If they’re preschoolers, they may seem to get in the way more than help, but they’ll develop some important values in taking care of equipment and valuables. Older kids may groan, considering it a chore, but if you’re positive rather than negative in your comments about their cleaning, and spend time talking with them during the work, they’ll quickly come around.

When maintaining gear, take the following steps:
g Check over gear to see if there are any cracks or tears; if so, either mend it or obtain replacement gear
g Empty canteens of water and packs of food bags and garbage
g Brush dust, grit and leaves off of gear
g If wet, set the gear out to dry; don’t place it over or near a fire, however, as this can cause cracking, especially of leather
g Replace used supplies, such as those in first-aid kits and extra re-sealable bags

Fortunately, gear won’t get too beat up on a day hike, as opposed to a multi-day backpacking trip. Given this, the work should go quick.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Follow planning list when hiking with kids

Before leaving on any hike with children, plan out your trip. Here’s a useful planning checklist:
g Print a road map showing how to reach the parking lot near the trailhead. Outline the route with a transparent yellow highlighter and write out the directions.
g Print a satellite photo of the parking area and the trailhead. Mark the trailhead on the photo.
g Print a topo map of the trail. Outline the trail with the yellow highlighter. Note interesting features you want to see along the trail and the destination.
g If carrying GPS, program this information into your device.
g Make a timeline for your trip, listing: when you will leave home; when you will arrive at the trailhead; your turn-back time; when you will return for home in your vehicle; when you will arrive at home.
g Estimate how much water and food you will need to bring based on the amount of time you plan to spend on the trail and in your vehicle. You’ll need at least 2 pints of water per person for every hour on the trail.
g Fill out two copies of a hiker’s safety form. Leave one in your vehicle.
g Share all of this information with a responsible person remaining in civilization, leaving a hiker’s safety form with them. If they do not hear from you within an hour of when you plan to leave the trail in your vehicle, they should contact authorities to report you as possibly lost.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

What do with leftovers on hike with kids

Remember that you’ll need to pack out wrappers, baggies and uneaten food. Burying them isn’t a good idea as animals often will dig them up, leaving that section of the wood littered with trash. This is an excellent opportunity to teach kids the value of hiking out with what they hiked in.

More great day hike food ideas for kids:
g Trail mix recipe for kids: Gorp balls
g Don't skimp on water when day hiking with children

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.